To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee

THE STORY

PART TWO

CHAPTER 30

Everyone except Jem, who has been given medicine to make him sleep, retires to the
porch to discuss the night's happenings.

Atticus is sure that Jem must have stabbed Bob Ewell in self-defense. But Sheriff
Tate disagrees. He tells Atticus that he intends to write in his report on the incident
that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife.

Atticus protests at first. He is sure that the sheriff is trying to cover up for
Jem. Then it slowly dawns on Atticus that it isn't Jem the sheriff wants to protect.
Boo Radley, not Jem, stabbed Bob Ewell.

Why does the sheriff want to cover up Boo Radley's part in the fight?

There can be no doubt that the stabbing of Bob Ewell was justifiable homicide, necessary
to save the lives of Jem and Scout. Even if Boo's case ever came before a court,
he would certainly be found innocent. The court system might not work for a black
man like Tom Robinson, but Boo has nothing to fear. It is not the law that the sheriff
wants to protect Boo from, but the publicity. He wants to spare Boo the need to explain
himself to the police and to others, and even the attention he would surely get from neighbors who would consider him a hero for saving the children's lives. As the
sheriff notes, all the ladies in the neighborhood would no doubt be showing up at
the Radley's door bringing cakes and pies- a friendly gesture that would be torture
for a shy, reclusive man like Boo.

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NOTE:

Most readers agree that Sheriff Tate is doing the right thing. He
is willing to bend the rules by writing a false report, but only in the
name of compassion. Justice is served, perhaps not in the letter of the
law, but in its spirit. By putting himself inside Boo's skin- just as
Atticus advised the children to do earlier in the story- Sheriff Tate
has seen that it would be much kinder to keep quiet about Boo's action.

A few readers, however, may have qualms about this ending to the novel.
Isn't this bending of the law in accordance with one's feeling the same
reasoning that allowed the jurors to find Tom Robinson guilty even though
they must have known he was innocent? Remember, it's possible that some
of the jurors did not actively want to harm Tom. Perhaps they only wanted
to spare Mayella Ewell the shame of a verdict that would have shown they
didn't believe her. Perhaps we would be better off in the long run if
the law were applied equally to everyone. Once people start making exceptions,
doesn't this open the door to a situation where there is one law for one's
friends and "people like us" and another for everybody else?

There is no right answer to these questions. Scout and Atticus approve
of Sheriff Tate's decision, and their view clearly represents the opinion
of the author. However, you will have to decide for yourself whether you
agree.